‘The Proposal’ Episode Pulled After Contestant Accused of Facilitating Sexual Assault
Reality dating show premiered Monday
Ashley Boucher | June 22, 2018 @ 9:41 AM
Last Updated: June 22, 2018 @ 11:24 AM
ABC/Byron Cohen
The second episode of ABC’s new reality show “The Proposal” is getting pulled after one of the contestants, Michael J. Friday, was accused by a woman of facilitating her sexual assault.
“An allegation has been made against a contestant on next week’s episode of ‘The Proposal.’ While the accusation was not related to the contestant’s appearance on the program, we take it very seriously. ABC and the producers of ‘The Proposal’ are pulling the episode while this matter is under review,” ABC and Warner Horizon said in a joint statement Friday.
The contestant in question was eliminated in the first round, but was accused by Milwaukee resident Erica Denae Meshke on Facebook of being “directly responsible for my date rape.”
In a Facebook post, Meshke wrote that she and the contestant met on Tinder, and when they met, he left her alone with two older men, who then spiked her drink and took her to an apartment, where “the things I endured for the next 5 hours were unspeakable.”
She said that she ran into him later, and confronted him about the incident.
“Once I reminded him of who I was, he acknowledged his part in that evening, and tried to argue with me and justify what he did, but was promptly asked to leave the bar by employees/my friends,” she wrote. “This man is the pretty face that is used as a lure to get girls into unsafe situations.”
The accusation comes after current “Bachelorette” contestant Lincoln Adim was convicted of indecent assault and battery in May for an incident that occurred in 2016. ABC declined to comment on Adim’s conviction, but producers Warner Bros. TV said in a statement that “No one on ‘The Bachelorette’ production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or having been charged with any sexual misconduct.”
“We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case,” the statement continued. “The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction – or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct. We are currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it.”
Deadline was first to report to name the contestant as being Michael J. Friday. ABC did not release his name, and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
See Meshke’s Facebook post below.
Edit: I'm removing the original photo link this was attached to for sharing purposes. The original photo link is in the…
'The Bachelorette' Season 14: Meet Becca Kufrin and Her Bachelors (Photos)
If you tuned into the finale of the latest season of "The Bachelor," then you know Becca Kufrin was chosen as Arie Luyendyk, Jr's fiancée... only to have him break up with her a few weeks later in favor of runner-up Lauren Burnham. (A refresher on that whole drama is right here.)
Now Becca is returning to the ABC franchise to find love again, this time as the network's fourteenth Bachelorette. Scroll through to learn more about Becca and the 28 gentleman hoping to win her hand.
ABC
Becca Kufrin
Becca is a Minnesota native who works at a boutique public relations agency. She loves to host dinner parties and travel. When she was 19, her father passed away, and it has inspired her to live life to the fullest.
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Blake
Blake is a 28-year-old sales rep from the small town of Bailey, Colorado. While he plays football and basketball, he's also a swing dancer.
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John
John is a 28-year-old software engineer from San Francisco, California, who likes to wine taste, play guitar and bake banana bread whenever he's not hustling it up in Silicon Valley.
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Joe
Joe is a 31-year-old grocery store owner from Chicago, Illinois. He switched careers from being a trader in the Chicago stock exchange.
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Trent
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Rickey
Rickey is a 27-year-old IT consultant from San Diego, California, who comes from the world of Wall Street.
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Kamil
Kamil is a 30-year-old "social media participant" from Monroe, New York. He was born in Poland and moved to the States when he was five.
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Garrett
Garrett is a 29-year-old medical sales rep from Reno, Nevada. He grew up in a small California town and loves fly fishing, hiking and snow-shoeing.
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Connor
Connor is a 25-year-old fitness coach from St. Petersburg, Florida. He used to play baseball for the Atlanta Braves.
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Grant
Grant is a 27-year-old electrician from Danville, California, who espouses healthy doses of sarcasm.
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Jake
Jake is a 29-year-old marketing consultant from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is a hopeless romantic with an adventurous streak. He likes motocross and bungee jumping.
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Darius
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Jason
Jason is a 29-year-old corporate banker from Seattle, Washington, who just so happens to love Disney songs.
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Leo
Leo is a 31-year-old stuntman from Studio City, California, who also works for his family construction business.
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Jordan
Jordan is a 26-year-old model from Crystal River, Florida, who also loves kayaking and running.
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Wills
Wills is a 29-year-old graphic designer from Los Angeles who is also a huge Harry Potter fan.
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Christian
Christian is a 28-year-old banker from San Diego, California, who was born in Mexico. He used to play semi-professional soccer.
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Jean Blanc
Jean Blanc is a 31-year-old colognoisseur from Pensacola, Florida. He was born in Haiti before moving to Boston with his family when he was three. He currently works in finance.
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Mike
Mike is a 27-year-old sports analyst from Cincinnati, Ohio, who loves his bulldog Riggins and state fairs.
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Colton
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David
David is a 25-year-old venture capitalist from Denver, Colorado. He enjoys golfing, skiing and spending time at his family's beach house.
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Clay
Clay is a 30-year-old pro football player from a small town outside of Chicago, Illinois, and considers himself a good mix of city and country boy.
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Ryan
Ryan is a 26-year-old banjoist from Manhattan Beach, California, originally from Cape Cod. He plays with his family in a bluegrass band and also enjoys sailing.
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Lincoln
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Alex
Alex is a 31-year-old construction manager from Atlanta, Georgia, who loves country music and spending time on his boat.
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Nick
Nick is a 27-year-old attorney from Orlando, Florida, who loves brunch, barbecues, the beach and track suits.
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Chris
Chris is a 30-year-old sales trainer from Orlando, Florida, originally from New York. He's passionate about health and fitness.
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Chase
Chase is a 27-year-old advertising VP from Sanford, Florida, who competed in the College World Series for the University of South Carolina. He loves adventure and the outdoors.
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Christon
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1 of 30
Enter the bankers and the models
If you tuned into the finale of the latest season of "The Bachelor," then you know Becca Kufrin was chosen as Arie Luyendyk, Jr's fiancée... only to have him break up with her a few weeks later in favor of runner-up Lauren Burnham. (A refresher on that whole drama is right here.)
Now Becca is returning to the ABC franchise to find love again, this time as the network's fourteenth Bachelorette. Scroll through to learn more about Becca and the 28 gentleman hoping to win her hand.